1 00:00:01,440 --> 00:00:04,120 I wonder if you have your Bible with you tonight, could you turn 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:08,080 with me please to the Old Testament Scriptures and to the 3 00:00:08,080 --> 00:00:14,640 second book of Kings, Second Kings and chapter 5, very, very 4 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:20,040 familiar portion of God's word, the story of a man we sometimes 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:25,480 call General Naman when we're speaking to the boys and the 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,080 girls. But I want to preach tonight on 7 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:34,440 what we've called the salvation of a stranger, and I'll show you 8 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:38,520 why in just a moment or two. But Second Kings chapter 5, 9 00:00:38,920 --> 00:00:43,320 commencing to read at verse one, the Bible says now Naaman, 10 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:48,880 captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with 11 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:53,600 his master, and honourable because by him the Lord had 12 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:58,560 given deliverance unto Syria. He was also a mighty man and 13 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:05,160 valour, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by 14 00:01:05,160 --> 00:01:08,640 companies that had brought away captive out of the land of 15 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,920 Israel. A little maid and she waited on 16 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:15,840 Naiman's wife. She said unto her mistress, 17 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,960 Would God, my Lord, we're with the prophet that is in Samaria, 18 00:01:20,680 --> 00:01:23,360 for he would recover him of his leprosy. 19 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:26,840 And one went in and told his Lord, saying Thus. 20 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,440 And thus said the maid, that is, of the land of Israel, and the 21 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:34,760 king of Syria said, Go to go, and I will send the letter unto 22 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,800 the king of Israel. And he departed and took with 23 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:44,160 him 10 talents of silver, and 6000 pieces of gold, and 10 24 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:47,440 changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the 25 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,920 king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, 26 00:01:51,920 --> 00:01:57,120 behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that 27 00:01:57,160 --> 00:01:59,520 thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. 28 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,320 Came to pass when the king of Israel had read the letter, that 29 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:09,240 he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God to kill and to make 30 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:14,520 alive, that this man does send unto me to recover a man of his 31 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:18,080 leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray you, 32 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,800 and see how he seeketh A quarrel against me. 33 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:26,840 And it was so when Alicia the man of God, heard that the king 34 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:30,880 of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, 35 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,360 saying, Wherefore hast thy rent thy clothes? 36 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:39,040 Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a 37 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,240 prophet at Israel. So Naaman came with his horses 38 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:46,640 and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the House of 39 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:50,640 Alicia. And Alicia sent a messenger on 40 00:02:50,640 --> 00:02:56,600 to him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan 7 times, and thy flesh 41 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,280 shall come again to thee, and thy shalt be clean. 42 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,880 But Naman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I 43 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:09,520 thought, he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on 44 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:12,520 the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the 45 00:03:12,520 --> 00:03:17,760 place, and recover the leper. Are not Habana and far power 46 00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,360 rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? 47 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:25,040 May I not wash in them and be clean? 48 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:30,600 So he turned and went away in a rage, and the servants came 49 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:35,280 near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet 50 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,960 had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have 51 00:03:38,960 --> 00:03:42,360 done it? How much rather than when he 52 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:45,080 saith unto thee, Wash and be clean. 53 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:50,000 Then he went down and dipped himself 7 times. 54 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:55,320 And Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God, this 55 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,480 flesh came again like onto the flesh of a little child, and he 56 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:02,760 was clean. He returned to the man of God, 57 00:04:02,760 --> 00:04:06,440 he and all his company, and came and stood before him. 58 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:11,760 And he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God and all the 59 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:16,880 earth but in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, take 60 00:04:16,880 --> 00:04:21,160 a blessing of Thy servant. We learned our reading there at 61 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,960 verse 15. May God bless to us as He always 62 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,680 does, the public reading of His own inspired and His infallible 63 00:04:29,680 --> 00:04:32,080 Word. Let's just by briefly in prayer 64 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:35,440 again and ask God's blessing upon the ministry of His Word. 65 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:40,480 Father in Heaven, we thank Thee again tonight for all Thy 66 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:43,720 goodness to us. We thank Thee, Lord, again for 67 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,080 the offer of the gospel. We thank Thee that the Bible 68 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:51,640 says that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall 69 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,360 be saved. And we thank Thee for this 70 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,880 incident, this story, and the word of God that tells us in the 71 00:04:59,880 --> 00:05:03,920 life of Naaman. The Naaman obed and went down at 72 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:08,800 the message of the man of God and dipped himself seven times 73 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:12,280 in the Jordan, and he was cleansed from his leprosy. 74 00:05:12,280 --> 00:05:17,800 Lord, we thank Thee tonight that our God is able to cleanse men 75 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:22,600 and women from their sin. What can wash away my sin? 76 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:27,040 Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? 77 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:31,400 Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Lord, may some precious soul or 78 00:05:31,400 --> 00:05:37,480 souls come to know Christ, be cleansed from all their sin, be 79 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:41,280 filled out and ready for heaven, and for whom bless us now. 80 00:05:41,280 --> 00:05:45,520 Lord, fill me with the Holy Ghost I take the promised Holy 81 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:51,080 Ghost, the blessed power of Pentecost to fill me to the 82 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:55,600 uttermost I take. Thank God He'll undertake for 83 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:57,880 me. Be with us now, Lord, as we with 84 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:02,480 honour Thy presence, for we ask all these things in Jesus name, 85 00:06:03,520 --> 00:06:05,720 Amen. Amen. 86 00:06:06,520 --> 00:06:10,320 Now, as we said, I want to think with you for a moment or two in 87 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:15,960 the closing minutes of our service about the salvation of a 88 00:06:15,960 --> 00:06:20,520 stranger. I say that because the Bible 89 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:25,840 tells us of at least two people who were called naman. 90 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:30,440 In the book of Genesis, chapter 46 and verse 21, we're told 91 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:35,360 about some men who were the sons of Benjamin, and among them was 92 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:41,400 a man by the name of Naaman. He was a Jew. 93 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:48,640 This man, Naaman was captain of the host of the king of Syria, 94 00:06:49,120 --> 00:06:54,600 and he was a Gentile. But our blessed Saviour the Lord 95 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:59,520 Jesus Christ, when he was preaching, he said in Luke's 96 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:07,120 Gospel chapter 4 and in verse 27, Jesus said and many lepers 97 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:13,680 were in Israel in the time of Alicia the prophet, and none of 98 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:19,000 them was cleansed. Saving Naaman the Syrian. 99 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:24,160 Jesus said there were many lepers even in the camp of 100 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:29,440 Israel in the days of Alicia the prophet, but he said none of 101 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:35,520 them was cleansed except this man, Naaman the the Syrian. 102 00:07:36,040 --> 00:07:38,240 So that gives us a wonderful hope. 103 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:41,920 That gives us a hope, as the old hymn writer says, that is 104 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:46,360 steadfast and sure. That speaks about the Amazing 105 00:07:46,640 --> 00:07:52,480 Grace of God, that God so loved the world that He gave His only 106 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,000 begotten Son. It doesn't matter whether it's 107 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:59,320 Jew or Gentile or Protestant or Catholic or educated or 108 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:05,200 illiterate or rich or poor. But thank God all may come and 109 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:09,960 seek the Lord for salvation. And thank God they are assured 110 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:13,560 of that welcome by the Lord Jesus Christ. 111 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,320 I want to think with you tonight about this man name and this 112 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:23,680 mighty man, this courageous man, this man of valour, this captain 113 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:27,040 in the host of the King of Surrey. 114 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:30,920 But I want to just to think it in a very simple way. 115 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:35,440 In the Bible, when God would draw our attention to something, 116 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:41,400 he often uses the word behold. Behold for instance, the Bible 117 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:46,720 reminds us that Psalmist says behold I was born in sin and 118 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:51,440 shapen in iniquity. Reminds us of our state before 119 00:08:51,440 --> 00:08:54,280 God. We were born in sin and shapen 120 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:56,720 iniquity. John the Baptist, when he 121 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,920 preached at the Fort of Jordan and he saw the Lord Jesus 122 00:08:59,920 --> 00:09:04,760 coming, he pointed to Jesus and he said, behold the Lamb of God 123 00:09:04,920 --> 00:09:07,760 which taketh away the sin of the world. 124 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:11,400 And that word beholdeth it grabs our attention, grabbed the 125 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:14,280 attention of the people. They turned, they looked to see 126 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:19,000 the one who was coming, the Lamb of God who would take away the 127 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:23,240 Son of the world. The Bible reminds us in the Book 128 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:28,560 of Revelation that the Lord Jesus Christ said to the people 129 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:36,040 in Revelation chapter 22, Behold, I come quickly. 130 00:09:36,840 --> 00:09:42,400 We know not the day nor the hour when the Lord Jesus Christ may 131 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,320 come back again. We knew not the day or the hour 132 00:09:46,480 --> 00:09:51,120 when you or me may be ushered out into God's eternity. 133 00:09:51,720 --> 00:09:57,200 Therefore, as the Bible teaches us, behold, now is the accepted 134 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:01,560 time, and now is the day of salvation. 135 00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:04,080 When should a man prepare for eternity now? 136 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:06,960 When should he get right with God now? 137 00:10:07,480 --> 00:10:09,520 When should he seek the Lord now? 138 00:10:09,520 --> 00:10:13,920 Because now is the day of salvation Today the Bible says, 139 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:18,240 if you will hear his voice, harden not your heart. 140 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:23,000 And I want to take that word, behold, and just three mentions 141 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:28,120 of it there in the story of Naaman and see how it applies to 142 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:30,400 his life. You'll notice first of all, what 143 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:35,640 I might call behold, the misery in his life. 144 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:43,560 In verse 6, Naaman goes with a letter from his king to the king 145 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:46,800 of Israel. And the letter says, Now when 146 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:52,320 this letter is come on to thee, behold, I have sent, I have 147 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,320 therewith sent Naman my servant to thee, that thou mayest 148 00:10:56,440 --> 00:11:01,000 recover him of his leprosy. And the word behold draws our 149 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,880 attention to the fact first of all of the misery. 150 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:10,560 And Naman say he was a leper. The Bible says in verse 1 he was 151 00:11:10,560 --> 00:11:14,480 captain of the host. The Bible says in verse 1 he was 152 00:11:14,480 --> 00:11:18,160 a great man with his master. It says there in verse 1 of 153 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:22,040 chapter he was honourable. It says he was a man who had 154 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:26,080 known victory, for by him God had given deliverance unto 155 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:29,280 Syria. He was a mighty man in valour, 156 00:11:29,560 --> 00:11:38,440 but he was a leper with all these great and glorious and 157 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:42,200 good things in the life of this man. 158 00:11:42,560 --> 00:11:49,040 Naman, the Bible says he was a leper. 159 00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:55,880 It's great to read the story about our dear brother, the late 160 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:00,240 Doctor Bill Woods, and how Doctor Bill went out with the 161 00:12:00,360 --> 00:12:04,800 Akri Gospel Mission and I went to the land of Brazil and how he 162 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:08,840 studied in a foreign language and became a doctor. 163 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:14,120 And, and I was commended by the late Her Majesty the Queen. 164 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:17,360 And he was commended by the Brazilian government because 165 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:22,280 through his programme, the disease of leprosy was almost 166 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:25,080 eradicated throughout the Agri region. 167 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:33,160 But way back in Naman's day, there was no cure, there was no 168 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:36,280 hope. A man had a leprosy. 169 00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:44,240 It was a death sentence. We don't know when or where or 170 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,640 her. But one day, when Neiman was 171 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:55,480 perhaps at home and taken off his uniform and all the marks of 172 00:12:55,480 --> 00:13:01,880 the office that he held, he discovered the plague of leprosy 173 00:13:02,640 --> 00:13:09,360 in his body. Behold the misery in his life. 174 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:13,600 He was a leper. He had many other things. 175 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:17,240 He could speak with the king. He had popularity amongst the 176 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:23,120 men of the soldiers he had. He was a brave man and a great 177 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,440 man and power and probably wealth along with it. 178 00:13:26,640 --> 00:13:30,200 But he was a leper. And so the Bible reminds us that 179 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:35,160 no matter how well we do in this world, whether we be well off or 180 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:39,520 whether we're we're poor, whether we are the most educated 181 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,040 person or the most illiterate person, the Bible says that all 182 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,200 have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 183 00:13:46,200 --> 00:13:49,960 We have one thing in common. There is one common denominator 184 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:54,400 that every man and woman born of Adam's sinful and fallen ruined 185 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:59,000 race, we are sinners before God. And the Bible says the soul that 186 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:02,880 sitteth it shall die. The Bible says it is appointed 187 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:07,480 unto man wants to die. And after this the judgement. 188 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:14,280 So one day Neiman discovered that he was a leper, that there 189 00:14:14,280 --> 00:14:18,600 was a death sentence upon him, no cure. 190 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:27,000 But then was a little girl who was a slave who had been taken 191 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:31,560 away from her home in the land of Israel as she'd been captured 192 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:37,600 and taken into Syria, as she was made to wait upon Neiman's wife. 193 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:42,880 But with all credit to that little girl who was taken away 194 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:50,600 from her home and her family and from her religion, even there in 195 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:56,760 a foreign land, even there as a captive, she was faithful to 196 00:14:56,760 --> 00:15:00,880 God, faithful to the Lord Jehovah God. 197 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:06,760 And she says, if my Lord naman, my master naman, she says to the 198 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,320 name of would God, my Lord were with the prophet, that is, in 199 00:15:10,320 --> 00:15:15,200 summer, if he could get to the prophet and he would cure him, 200 00:15:15,320 --> 00:15:17,360 he would recover him of his leprosy. 201 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,240 He is the prophet of God, the living God, the true God, the 202 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,000 one and only God, the one who is all power, the one who is 203 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:29,840 Creator and sustainer of all things, the one who can do 204 00:15:29,840 --> 00:15:34,480 anything. And so they tell Naaman, But I 205 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:38,160 want you to notice the second behold. 206 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:45,080 You notice in verse 11 it says, But Naaman was wroth and went 207 00:15:45,080 --> 00:15:51,240 away and said, behold, I thought he will surely come out to me 208 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,280 and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and strike 209 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:57,520 his hand over the place and recover the leper. 210 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,800 Want you to see the second behold. 211 00:16:02,320 --> 00:16:06,800 Behold the mistakes in the human's life. 212 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:09,280 It's all about the misery in his life. 213 00:16:09,320 --> 00:16:12,400 I think about the mistakes in his life, but of course it 214 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:17,160 started off when he told the king about this cure, about this 215 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,880 prophet in the land of Israel. And the king says, well listen, 216 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:25,000 I'll write you a letter, I'll put my seat on it, I'll send you 217 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:29,720 a letter and you go to the king. But the wee girl didn't tell him 218 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:35,320 to go to the king. He says, would God, my Lord was 219 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:37,920 with the prophet, that is in summer. 220 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:45,000 He went to the wrong person. And I wonder sometimes as we go 221 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:50,000 through life's journey, how many men and women, boys and girls, 222 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,200 young people have gone to the wrong person. 223 00:16:54,200 --> 00:17:00,160 People may go to the cults, people may go to fortune 224 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:04,760 tellers, people may go to astrologers, people may go to 225 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:11,960 all sorts of people and groups and things in order to find the 226 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:16,240 meaning of life. But there's only one person, as 227 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:19,720 we said this morning, they're said to be, according to the 228 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,960 statistics, 4300 different religions in this world. 229 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:27,079 But as I said this morning, there's only one Saviour and 230 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:30,480 there's only one door and there's only one way, the Lord 231 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:35,160 Jesus Christ. So Damon went to the wrong 232 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:37,120 person. Sometimes people are depending 233 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:41,160 on the preacher or on a priest or a prelate or a Pope. 234 00:17:44,040 --> 00:17:47,960 He went to the wrong person. And you'll notice also that when 235 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:52,800 he went in verse 5, the Bible says he departed and took with 236 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:58,440 him 10 talents of silver, 6000 pieces of gold, and 10 changes 237 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:04,720 of raiment. He has the wrong price. 238 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:09,840 He thinks that he can buy this cure. 239 00:18:10,480 --> 00:18:16,760 He thinks that he can purchase that he can pay for health. 240 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:25,320 Sometimes people feel that they can buy their way or pay their 241 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:29,200 way to heaven. But as the apostle Peter said in 242 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:34,040 first Peter One and verse 18 and 19, we are not redeemed with 243 00:18:34,040 --> 00:18:38,000 corruptible things such as silver and gold, but with the 244 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:43,920 precious blood of Christ. We cannot equal the cost that 245 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:49,360 Jesus paid at Calvary. So we behold the mistakes in his 246 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:51,400 life. He went to the wrong person and 247 00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:54,600 he came with the wrong price, and he's thinking about the 248 00:18:54,600 --> 00:18:58,720 wrong place. And much of this is to do with 249 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:03,160 what he is thinking. He says, behold, I thought, see 250 00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:07,120 the Bible says there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, 251 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:09,640 but the end thereof are the ways of deaths. 252 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:14,440 And Namus says, I thought, I thought, I thought this prophet 253 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:17,880 would come out and he would stand and he would make a big 254 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,640 demonstration and he'd strike the place of the leper, and I 255 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:24,000 would procured. And he, he tells me to go down 256 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:29,400 to the Jordan River, the the muddy banks of the river Jordan 257 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:35,200 and dip 7 times. He says, are not the beautiful 258 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:40,760 rivers of Habana the far power rivers of Damascus? 259 00:19:40,760 --> 00:19:45,800 Are they not more beautiful? Are they not better than Jordan? 260 00:19:49,080 --> 00:19:54,320 So he thinks who's the wrong person and he comes with the 261 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:59,480 wrong price and he's thinking about the wrong procedure. 262 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:07,120 I thought he would come out not the river Jordan. 263 00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:09,800 Remember the old gospel preachers of bygone day? 264 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:12,920 I think Doctor Paisley preached on one occasion about Nieman and 265 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:15,760 he calls it 7 ducks in a muddy river. 266 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:22,040 Neyman had to go and duck down 7 times in the river Jordan in 267 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:25,960 obedience to the command of the prophet of God in order to be 268 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:33,200 clean. But Neyman had to go and he had 269 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,800 to wait outside, had to humble himself. 270 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:42,840 And the prophet sent a messenger out and he gave him a message. 271 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:48,800 And then Neyman eventually, as the Bible says, he was wroth, he 272 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,560 was angry, he went away in a rage. 273 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:55,360 You know, sometimes people hear the gospel of Christ and they 274 00:20:55,360 --> 00:20:57,560 say, well, I've been a good church man. 275 00:20:58,080 --> 00:21:01,160 I, I have paid into the church. I've been a good neighbour. 276 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:03,240 I've been a good friend to my friends. 277 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:06,560 I, I, I have been charitable. I have been a good neighbour. 278 00:21:06,560 --> 00:21:08,280 I have done this, that the other thing. 279 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:13,920 And surely God will have to accept me into his Kingdom. 280 00:21:18,280 --> 00:21:25,440 Naaman had to go and divest himself of his uniform and go 281 00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:30,240 down into the waters of Jordan. The servants were very wise. 282 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:36,000 That we girl who was a slave girl, she was very wise. 283 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:40,640 But Naaman's servants were very wise also. 284 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,680 They said, Master, if the prophet told you to do some 285 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:47,480 great thing, if the prophet had to come out and said to Naaman, 286 00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:50,840 I want you to go and conquer this mountain, I want you to go 287 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:53,440 and do this. I want you to go and take so 288 00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,120 many people and slay them. I want you to fight. 289 00:21:56,120 --> 00:21:59,880 I want you. He would have done it, but it 290 00:21:59,880 --> 00:22:07,720 just seemed to be so simple and it didn't align with Naaman's 291 00:22:08,360 --> 00:22:14,240 thinking. Just to go and wash in the 292 00:22:14,240 --> 00:22:19,080 Jordan 7 times. But the servants were very wise 293 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:22,360 and so eventually never comes. And so I want you to notice the 294 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:24,440 third. Behold the last one. 295 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,400 Behold the misery of his life. He was a leper. 296 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:30,600 Behold the mistakes in his life. Listen. 297 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,160 Behold the miracle in his life. Look at verse 15. 298 00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:40,320 He returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came 299 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:45,280 and stood before him. And he said, Behold, now I know 300 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:50,160 that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. 301 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,000 Thy therefore I pray thee take a blessing of thy servant. 302 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:56,920 And the prophet of God said, as the Lord liveth before whom I 303 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,840 stand, I will receive none. He urged them to take it, but he 304 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:05,520 refused. Naman could witness thy a 305 00:23:05,520 --> 00:23:11,560 miracle that happened in his life in obedience to the message 306 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:17,800 from God when he went to the river Jordan and dipped himself 307 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:24,480 seven times in the Jordan he was cleansed from his disease. 308 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:29,720 His flesh, the Bible says, was like the flesh verse 14 of a 309 00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:35,800 little child and he was clean. He was cleansed and then thank 310 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:40,520 God he was confident instead of doubts. 311 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:47,120 He says, Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but 312 00:23:47,120 --> 00:23:52,320 it is real and thank God he confessed his deliverance, 313 00:23:54,200 --> 00:24:00,280 confessed it before others, and he consecrated himself on to 314 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,720 God. He turned from his idols to 315 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:06,760 serve the living and the true God. 316 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:14,280 You know, sometimes we want salvation, but we want it our 317 00:24:14,280 --> 00:24:18,480 way and maybe sometimes we have it all worked out. 318 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:26,440 I remember dear woman, Roman Catholic woman came to me in the 319 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:31,880 Church many years ago when I was in Banbridge and she came to 320 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,480 know the Lord Jesus Christ as her own and personal Saviour. 321 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:40,360 Her boys had been saved at our children's meeting they 322 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,560 witnessed to their mum and she came and was saved. 323 00:24:43,560 --> 00:24:49,920 And her husband who was a Protestant and a great man for 324 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:56,640 the, the loyal institutions, he came and he got saved. 325 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,880 And he said to me, Fred, you know, I always thought that I 326 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:07,440 would get saved 1st and then my wife and then my boys. 327 00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:12,640 But he says the boys came and then she came and like, and 328 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:17,520 sometimes we have this all worked out in our heads, but God 329 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:22,080 steps in and God moves and name and had it all worked out. 330 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:26,880 He, he thought the prophet would come out and the prophet would 331 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:30,840 strike the place and he would be cured. 332 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:39,120 But God said go, go and wash seven times, just like the man. 333 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:45,080 Jesus says go and wash in the pool of silo go. 334 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,560 And the question is, are we willing? 335 00:25:52,200 --> 00:26:01,400 Are we obedient to come to God? God's way Bible teaches us that 336 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:05,640 we are sinners, all of sinned and come short of the glory of 337 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:08,440 God. The Bible teaches us that 338 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:16,600 whosoever that means you, whosoever shall call upon the 339 00:26:16,600 --> 00:26:20,440 name of the Lord, shall be saved. 340 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,720 That's all it takes. The old Gospel him says he's 341 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:30,640 only a prayer away. Just like Blaine. 342 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:34,120 Bartimaeus sat by the highway side begging. 343 00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:37,920 He heard that Jesus was passing that way, and he cried out. 344 00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:42,040 Jesus, thy Son of David, have mercy upon me. 345 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:46,680 And that call fell upon the lips of the Saviour. 346 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:54,800 The Saviour came, cleansed him, cured him from his blindness, 347 00:26:55,560 --> 00:26:59,800 but saved his precious soul. And thank God tonight the 348 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:04,800 Saviour, as the old gospel hymn says, is waiting to enter your 349 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:09,840 heart. Why do you not come and receive 350 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:11,800 him? Let's go together. 351 00:27:12,120 --> 00:27:14,960 Just a wee word of prayer as we bring our meeting to a close. 352 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,440 Thinking about Naman and the beholds in his life. 353 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:26,840 Behold the misery in his life and all the mistakes that he 354 00:27:26,840 --> 00:27:29,440 made in his life. But thank God for the miracle. 355 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:33,680 Life was changed. Thank God tonight, if any man or 356 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:38,320 woman be in Christ, they're a new creation, new creature. 357 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,560 All things are passed away and all things have become you. 358 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:45,440 I am your servant for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake. 359 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:49,800 If I can help you to Christ, point you and show you the way. 360 00:27:50,040 --> 00:27:53,040 I can't save you, but I can point you the way and show you 361 00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:57,880 the way the one who can. The old hymn says, I know a man 362 00:27:57,880 --> 00:28:01,960 who can, The God man, the Lord Jesus, He's able and mighty to 363 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,000 save. Just tell us of your need and 364 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:09,560 gladly show you from God's Word, God's way, how you can be saved, 365 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,480 how you can be sure that you're saved and know that it's well 366 00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:17,080 with your soul for time and for eternity. 367 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:20,960 Father in Heaven, we thank Thee again tonight for the simple 368 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,400 message of the gospel. We thank Thee for the story 369 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:28,680 recorded in Thy word, this historical incident of Naaman 370 00:28:29,160 --> 00:28:31,720 and how God cleansed them from his leprosy. 371 00:28:32,360 --> 00:28:36,680 And Lord, we thank Thee that God is still in the throne and God 372 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:40,280 is still in the soul saving business, and that the Lord 373 00:28:40,280 --> 00:28:45,000 Jesus Christ is able to save to the very uttermost all them that 374 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:49,360 come unto God by Him. So bless Your word as it's gone 375 00:28:49,360 --> 00:28:52,400 forth we pray and bring sinners to Christ. 376 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:54,640 Restore the backslidden in heart. 377 00:28:55,040 --> 00:28:58,600 No God, bless your people. Separate us now with Thy 378 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,200 blessing. Take us all to our homes in 379 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,040 safety and abide with us. May the grace of the Lord Jesus 380 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:09,280 Christ, the love of God, fellowship of the Holy Spirit, 381 00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:14,520 rest and remain and abide with us all now until the Lord Jesus 382 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:18,040 Christ comes or calls. Amen.